Preacher Volume 1: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

Preacher Volume 1: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Buy Preacher Volume 1: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Graphic Novels
Reviewer: Robert James
Summary: While it's definitely only for mature readers not offended by blood, booze and blasphemy, this is a gloriously over the top mixture of action and humour, with brilliant artwork.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 200	Date: May 2005
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN: 978-1563892615
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Reverend Jesse Custer is losing his faith in God - but he's about to find out that He exists, and He isn't all that He's cracked up to be. After one incredible event, Jesse's life is turned upside down, and he sets out on a road trip that will lead him to try and get answers from God himself - if Heaven's angels, and the Saint of Killers, don't cut him down first.

First things first - this is one comic which definitely isn't for kids. Full of blood, blasphemy, sex, booze, and brutality, it's definitely aimed at mature readers - and only those with strong stomachs, at that. For those who can handle it, though, the combination of Garth Ennis's crazy but well-plotted story, and the gritty art from Steve Dillon which captures the sleazy characters and the seedy joints they hang around in so perfectly makes this one well worth reading. As for those characters - wow! Jesse is a brilliant main man, while ex-girlfriend Tulip and hard-drinking Irishman Cassidy - both with serious secrets of their own - are also excellent. The mixture of action and humour makes it stand out, as well.

It's not perfect - there are times when it's perhaps too over the top; in particular the character of Arseface. Son of one of the first cops the trio run into, Arseface - who tried to emulate Kurt Cobain and commit suicide by shooting himself, only to fail to die but leave himself horribly disfigured - is a character who gets an intriguing introduction but quickly ends up being merely played for laughs.

One really strong point about it though, is that it works well as a satisfying story arc. I love reading comics and graphic novels, but often when getting to the end of a collected volume I'm left feeling it's stopped in a rather arbitrary place. No such problem here - we get a satisfying conclusion, with enough intrigue to reel me back in for volume 2 as soon as I can lay my hands on it.

Definitely recommended to all mature comics fans looking for a funny, action-packed, irreverent read.

My all-time favourite graphic novel for mature readers is still Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

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